Means for supporting electric lamps and energizing and lighting same.



No. 778,618. PATENTED DEC. 27, 1904.

, W. H. WILKINSON. MEANS FOR SUPPORTING ELECTRIC LAMPS AND ENBRGIZING AND LIGHTING SAME.

APPLICATION FIR? APB. 29.1904.

WTNESSES v I Wyn/7'09 a. WWW

UNITED STATES Patented December 27, 1904.

PATENT EErcE.

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING ELECTRIC LAMPS AND ENERGIZING AND LIGHTING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,618, dated December 27, 1904. Application filed April 29, 1904. Serial No. 205,621.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that LTVILLIAM H. WILKINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Supporting Electric Lamps and Energizing and Lighting the Same, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying the same.

My invention relates to means for supporting an electric lamp and for energizing and lighting the same at the convenience of the operator.

The object of my invention is to produce a convenient means for lighting the faces of gages, clocks, or similar devices attached to or used in connection with carriages or automobiles or when placed in a location where it is desirable to occasionally illuminate their faces.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating my improved electric-lamp support with a lamp attached, secured contiguous to a pair of pressure-gages with push-button and storage battery and line-wiring connecting the storage battery with the lamp. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing the gages, storage battery, lamp,'and lamp-support through line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a lamp and lamp-bracket through line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bottom of my improved push-button used in connection with a lighting device, and Fig. 5 is a partial sectional elevation of the push-button shown in Fig. 4c.

In the drawings, A represents a storage battery of any suitable element, cylindrical in shape, having contacts A and A at the ends thereof, said battery A being held in the spring-clamps B B, attached to a board C by any suitable means.

0' and O are contact-springs adapted to contact with the contact-points A and A of the storage battery at one of their ends, the other ends of said springs being secured to the board 0 by suitable screws.

D is a lamp-bracket having a socket D attached thereto. D representsafilament. The I lamp-bracket D is provided with the cowl or reflector D which cowl D is used to shade the light from the eyes of the operator as well as to cause it to be reflected forward and upon the faces of the gages to be lighted.

E is the body of a push-button which may be made of any suitable material and is provided with an opening E, adapted to receive the plug Said plug E contains the springreturn push-button E, which is provided with a metal pin E, attached toits lower end. The plug E is provided with rubber insulation, to which is attached contact-springs F and F by means of suitable screws F and The pin E is so adjusted that by pressing on the top of the button E it is pushed down to contact with the inwardly-projecting ends of the contact-springs F and F. The body part E is provided with a slot E through which the wires can pass which are connected to the contact-springs F and F. The electrical energy of the storage battery may be intermittently supplied to the lamp D through the pushbutton pin E by means of its contact with the springs F and F, bridging or completing the circuit.

G is a line-wire leading from the contactspring C to the screw on the contact F.

G is a wire leading from the screw F of the contact-spring F to the screw-terminal D of the lamp-socket.

G is a wire leading from the binding-screw D" of the lamp-socket to the contact-spring C of the storage battery, thus completing the circuit from the contact A of the storage battery through the push-button E, the lamp D by wire G to the contact A on the opposite end of the storage battery A, this circuit being completed by pressing the button E and bringing the contact-pin Ff in contact with the terminals of the contact-springs F and F. WVhen the pressure is removed from the push-button E it is returned by any suitable spring means to a normal position, thereby moving the contact-pin E* away from the contact-springs F and F, thus breaking the circuit.

The wires G, G, and G may be of any suitable length and flexible, so that the storage battery A and the push-button E may be located at any point convenient to the operator. Hence the location of the elements in my lighting device as set out in Fig. 1 are not essential to the operation of the device, as they may be arranged in any suitable mannor with relation to each other and at any suitable distance apart.

The object of the springs B B and the flexible contact-springs C and C is that the storage battery A may be readily removed when the electric energy therein has been discharged and a new one inserted without breaking the contact of the wires or disconnecting them.

Likewise the plug E may be readily removed from the body part E by loosening the setscrew H. The wires Gr and G will slide out through the slot without disconnecting them from the contact-screws F and F or without removing the body part E from the object to which it is attached.

Having described my invention, What I claim is 1. In a device for illuminating the pressure gages of an automobile, the combination of an electric lamp; a lamp-support provided with means for attaching it to the support of the gages; a socket to removably receive said lamp; a shield to reflect a light upon the gages and shield it from the eyes of the operator; a storage battery; a support for said storage battery provided with flexible contact-springs; springclamps for removabl y holding the storage battery in position with its terminals in contact with said. contact-springs; flexible wires connecting said contact-springs with the terminals of the lamp-filament; and means interposed in one of said wires for making and breaking the electrical contact.

2. An electrical illuminating device for pressure-gages'and the like, comprising an electric lamp; a lamp-bracket; a socket in one end of said lamp-bracket adapted to removably support the lamp; a shield attached to one end of said lamp-bracket; means on the other end of said bracket for attaching it to the gagesupport; a storage battery; a support for said storage battery; flexible contact-springs on said support; flexible clamping means on said support in which the storage battery may be removably held in position to permit said contact-springs to contact With its terminals; flexible wire connections connecting the terminals of the storage battery With the terminals of the lamp-filament; a push-button inserted in one of said flexible wire connections,

arranged to be located convenient to the hand I or foot of the operator.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this the 25th day of April A. D. 1904:.

WILLIAM H. WILKINSON.

WVitnesses:

R. P. ELLIOTT, H. M. KnLso. 

